Movement for a Democratic Society (TEV-DEM) condemned the arrest of Saleh Moslem and urged the international community to show a reaction to the unlawful practices of the Turkish state. Continue reading “#FreeSalehMuslim”

That this House is deeply concerned about the current situation of the people of Afrin, who have been subjected to Turkish Government aggression; notes that Afrin has been one of the more stable parts of Syria and that it has become a destination for hundreds of refugees from many cities including Aleppo; further notes that its current population has risen from 400,000 before the war to roughly 750,000; believes that the true victims of Turkey’s invasion of northern Syria are refugees, babies, women and children; further notes that Afrin borders Turkey on the north and is surrounded on its other sides by Syrian government forces and rebel forces including Al Qaeda; recognises that Afrin like other parts of Rojava is run democratically and peacefully with an emphasis on religious and ethnic pluralism, restorative justice, and the liberation of women and economic cooperatives; further recognises that YPG, YPJ and SDF forces, backed by the US, have been the most successful groups in defeating Daesh in Syria; is further concerned that the Turkish government’s recent actions are widely judged to have worsened the prospects for peace in Syria and wider Middle East; condemns the use of violence by Turkey’s Army on the people of Afrin and the Kurdish forces in Syria; and calls on the Government, as a matter of urgency to press the importance of respect for fundamental human rights and rule of International law.

One of the most outrageous aspects of Turkey’s aggressive invasion of Kurdish areas in Syria for me is the UK’s complicit regard for its own advantage by supporting Turkey, and totally abandoning the Kurds.

Kurds until very recently were being celebrated for their ability, sacrifice and tenacity in ridding the area of ISIS control, but suddenly they have become the political football that they have always been, and dropped like a hot potato … now that they are not seen as being essential to UK interests. Disgraceful behaviour by the UK Government!

Britain’s Quakers are pledging to challenge immigration policies. The position takes a stand against the scandal of indefinite immigration detention, pledges support for ‘new, peaceful, safer routes of migration’, and opposes the possibility of unjust deportations and forced removals.